1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope system, and more particularly, to an endoscope system that scans an object to acquire an image thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an endoscope used in a medical field, in order to reduce a burden on subjects, various techniques have been proposed for achieving a reduction in diameter of an endoscope insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity of a subject. Known examples of such techniques are an optical scanning endoscope having no solid image pickup device in its section corresponding to the insertion portion, and a system including such an optical scanning endoscope.
Specifically, the system with the optical scanning endoscope is, for example, configured to scan an object in accordance with a preset scanning pattern by swinging a distal end portion of an illuminating fiber that guides illuminating light emitted from a light source section, receive return light from the object by light receiving fibers provided around the illuminating fiber, and generate an image of the object using signals obtained by resolving the return light received by the light receiving fibers into individual color components.
For example, a medical observation system described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-19706 is conventionally known as the system having the above-described configuration.
Specifically, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-19706 discloses a medical observation system configured to, when a scanning medical probe substantially corresponding to the above-mentioned optical scanning endoscope is outside a patient, be able to control the amount of laser light emitted from a laser light source to the scanning medical probe.